Working memory over a six-year period in young binge drinkers

Abstract

Adolescence and early adulthood are periods of particular vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol. Young people with alcohol-use disorders display deficits in working memory (WM). This function is supported by the prefrontal cortex, a late-maturing brain region. However, little is known about the progression of cognitive dysfunctions associated with a binge-drinking (BD) pattern of alcohol consumption among non-clinical adolescents. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between BD trajectory and WM in university students. An initial sample of 155 male and female first-year university students was followed prospectively over 6 years. The participants were classified as stable non-BDs, stable BDs, and ex-BDs, according to the third item of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). WM was assessed using the Self-Ordered Pointing Task. Generalized linear mixed models were applied. The results showed that stable BDs committed more total perseverative errors and showed a lower WM span in the difficult blocks than stable non-BDs. Difficulties in WM span showed some improvement, whereas perseveration errors remained constant throughout the follow-ups in the stable BDs. There were no significant differences between ex-BDs and non-BDs. In conclusion, stable BD is associated with WM deficits, particularly perseverations and low WM span in demanding trials, when compensatory mechanisms may no longer be successful. The partial improvement in WM span may support the notion of a neuromaturational delay, whereas the temporal stability of perseveration deficits may reflect either neurotoxic effects of alcohol or premorbid characteristics. Abandoning the BD pattern of alcohol consumption may lead to partial recovery.

Alcohol Consumption, Drinking Patterns, and Cognitive Performance in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis

“…Furthermore, the repetitive data collection allowed the study of drinking patterns in addition to commonly reported average consumption levels. This is relevant since alcohol-drinking pattern may be an important determinant for the harmful effects of drinking, such as binge drinking [11,12,20].…”

“…However, the online cognitive tests performed at home may not have been sensitive enough to pick up differences in cognitive performance associated with alcohol consumption.Nutrients 2020, 12, 200 2 of 12 developmental shifts, making the reward system particularly sensitive to alcohol in ways that could promote excessive consumption [7].Cross-sectional studies in young adult binge drinkers showed impaired executive cognitive performance and brain development compared to nonbinge-drinking control subjects, as suggested by electrophysiological differences during the execution of a visual task with a high working memory load [8][9][10]. Longitudinal observational studies, in which binge-drinking adolescents were followed into adulthood, showed that long-term excessive drinking was associated with negatively affected working memory [11] and verbal memory and learning [12] as opposed to nonbinge-drinking adolescents. Similarly, college students who reported regular binge drinking performed poorer on planning and spatial working memory tasks as compared to nondrinking controls [13].In the general population, only a few small-scale longitudinal studies on alcohol consumption and cognitive performance have been performed.…”

“…Cognitive performance was assessed using an online cognitive test battery. Ecological momentary assessment [19] allowed the study of drinking patterns, since drinking pattern may be important in determining the association between alcohol consumption and health outcomes [11,12,20]. We hypothesized that light to moderate drinkers obtain similar cognitive task scores as compared to abstainers, whereas heavy drinkers would obtain lower cognitive task scores.…”

“…Cross-sectional studies in young adult binge drinkers showed impaired executive cognitive performance and brain development compared to nonbinge-drinking control subjects, as suggested by electrophysiological differences during the execution of a visual task with a high working memory load [8][9][10]. Longitudinal observational studies, in which binge-drinking adolescents were followed into adulthood, showed that long-term excessive drinking was associated with negatively affected working memory [11] and verbal memory and learning [12] as opposed to nonbinge-drinking adolescents. Similarly, college students who reported regular binge drinking performed poorer on planning and spatial working memory tasks as compared to nondrinking controls [13].…”

Prefrontal cortex development and emergence of self‐regulatory competence: the two cardinal features of adolescence disrupted in context of alcohol abuse

“…In contrast, heavy drinkers had reduced capacities to inhibit a prepotent response (Ahmadi et al, 2013;Dager et al, 2013). Numerous functional imaging studies converge to indicate that binge drinking affects functional organization of working memory processes, disrupts executive functions and triggers impulsive behaviours (Crego et al, 2010;Lyvers et al, 2012;Gil-Hernandez & Garcia-Moreno, 2016;Carbia et al, 2017).…”